William Swenson Active Duty: Medal of Honor Recipient Returns to Army

The U.S. Army confirmed Wednesday that Medal of Honor recipient Capt. William Swenson has returned to active duty and is stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state.

Swenson received the Medal of Honor at the White House in October for his actions during a deadly firefight in Afghanistan in 2009. The captain reportedly left the Army in 2011 but asked to return to active duty around the time of the ceremony six months ago.

"It does not really belong to me," Swenson told The Post of his decoration. "It belongs to that event and the people I stood with."

Swenson is the third Medal of Honor recipient on active duty, The Times noted. Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Petry and Staff Sgt. Ty Carter are also stationed with Swenson at the Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, Wash.

According to The Post, Swenson reportedly criticized the Army after the battle at Ganjgal, saying that it did not provide enough air and artillery support during the fight. Some suggested that the Army then intentionally lost his Medal of Honor nomination paperwork as a result of the public criticism.